This invention relates generally to an apparatus employed in the plumbing trades, and more particularly to a two-piece tool that is employed in the installation of compression valves or stops and their associated compression couplings, whereby the installer needs only the single tool.
There exists in the plumbing industry a widely used fitting known as a compression stop or a compression stop valve, or more particularly as a ⅝xe2x80x3xc3x97xe2x85x9cxe2x80x3 (or alternatively ⅝xe2x80x3xc3x97xc2xdxe2x80x3) compression straight or angle-stop valve. For many years, such fittings were attached to plumbing systems by soldering the fitting or via an internally threaded opening, being screwed onto threaded male nipples that were part of the domestic water plumbing systems. Angle-stops were eventually introduced with compression-type fittings so as to eliminate the need to solder or screw the threaded male nipples at water outlets. The xe2x80x9ccompressionxe2x80x9d stop is now a predominant means for terminating plumbing water supply at locations near plumbing fixtures such as faucets, toilets, etc. The compression stops provide an easy method to control the water supply without shutting down the entire system, in the event that the associated fixture needs repair or replacement.
Typically, angle-stops and similar compression fittings are installed using one of two tooling approaches. The most common method is for a plumber or do-it-yourselfer to use two or three adjustable wrenches (e.g., Crescent(trademark) wrenches). However, this method tends to be cumbersome and time consuming because there is a constant need to re-adjust the wrenches to fit the different dimensioned surfaces and compression nuts associated with the compression stops. Similarly, the adjustable wrenches are often of a size that prohibits their use in cramped surroundings such as within a sink or lavatory vanity cabinet. A second method, often used by those with more experience in the installation of compression stops, employs automotive-style open-end wrenches that are of fixed sizes necessary to accommodate all the surfaces of a compression stop. Unfortunately, the latter approach often requires as many as four different wrenches. These wrenches, like the adjustable wrenches, are made for heavy-duty use, where a user needs to apply significant torque to a nut or bolt (e.g., automotive applications). Thus, they too are generally longer and more heavily constructed than is necessary for the installation of compression stops. Lastly, the automotive-style open-end wrenches, and the adjustable wrenches, are often constructed with an angled offset between the wrench head and the handle that may complicate the alignment of a compression stop with the tubing riser to the faucet to which it is to be connected.
Experience suggests that both methods are tedious and time consuming when the described tools are used respectively, and in confined areas. Furthermore it is often too dark or otherwise difficult to obtain an accurate view of the final fixed angle of the compression stop and its angular relationship to the supply tubing from the associated faucet. A compression joint requires precise alignment and when such connections are significantly mis-aligned they require disassembly and readjustment. Due to the built-in angle of these automotive, or adjustable wrenches, the installer experiences a constant need to xe2x80x9crollxe2x80x9d or rotate the wrench 180 degrees around its axis in order to approach the compression nut, at a different angle to facilitate movement of the wrench handle far enough to avoid obstacles while exerting the necessary wrenching force on the compression nut.
In order to alleviate the afore-described difficulties with the installation of compression and angle-stop devices, and their associated faucet supply tubes; the present invention is a two-piece apparatus that enables the user to completely install a compression stop plumbing fitting, or similar mechanical device without the need for additional tools. Moreover, various features of the present invention facilitate the installation of such fittings in areas that are difficult to access.
Heretofore, a number of patents have disclosed wrenches associated with angle-stops, the relevant portions of which may be briefly summarized as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,783 to Spector et al., issued Apr. 12, 1977, discloses a wrench designed for screwing a polished angle valve or similar plumbing fitting without leaving unsightly teeth marks on it. The wrench is particularly suited for the installation of threaded angle-stops as were commonly used in the 1970""s.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,666 to White, issued Sep. 24, 1985, teaches a wrench for freeing or turning oval handles such as those often found on angle-stop valve and fittings.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a two-part wrench, comprising: a first member including a first wrenching head and an elongated, partially hollow handle extending therefrom, said first wrenching head being suitable for holding a mechanical device having a plurality of generally flat sides intersecting at a plurality of corners; and a second member including a second wrenching head and an elongated handle extending therefrom, said second wrenching head being suitable for holding a mechanical device having a plurality of generally flat sides intersecting at a plurality of corners, wherein the elongated handle of the second member is suitable for slidable insertion, along a longitudinal direction, within the hollow handle of the first member, and wherein the first and second members each include complimentary mating means so as to allow the temporary connection of the first and second members when the elongated handle of the second member is inserted within the hollow handle of the first member.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a two-part wrench, comprising: a first member including an open-end wrenching head and an elongated, hollow handle extending therefrom; and a second member including a split-box wrenching head and an elongated handle extending therefrom, wherein the elongated handle of the second member is suitable for slidable insertion, along a longitudinal direction, within the hollow handle of the first member, and wherein the first and second members each include complimentary mating means so as to allow the temporary connection of the first and second members when the elongated handle of the second member is inserted within the hollow handle of the first member.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wrench, comprising: a wrenching head suitable for holding a mechanical device having a plurality of generally flat, parallel sides; an elongated handle attached to and extending from said wrenching head; and a lug, said lug extending longitudinally from an end of the elongated handle opposite the wrenching head, said lug being of a certain cross-section and of a diameter suitable to engaging an inner surface of a mechanical device having the certain or compatible cross-section.
In accordance with yet a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for installing a compression fit plumbing device, comprising the steps of: using a first wrench member, the first wrench member including a split-box wrenching head, an elongated handle, and a lug located on an end of the handle opposite the wrenching head, inserting the lug of the first wrench member into a riser mouth of the device, thereby gripping the device, and aligning the device on the end of a malleable supply pipe; using a second wrenching member, the second wrenching member including an open-end wrenching head and elongated handle, tightening a compression nut so as to affix the device to the supply line; inserting a riser line into the riser mouth of the device; and using the split-box wrenching head of the first wrench member, tightening a second compression nut about the riser line.
One aspect of the invention deals with a basic problem in the plumbing industryxe2x80x94installation of angle-stop and similar compression fittings in an enclosed, limited-access space. This aspect is further based on the discovery of a technique that alleviates this problem. The technique utilizes a two-piece tool that incorporates features not found in other tools or techniques. For example, the two-piece tool is separable into its two component members when being used, but may be reassembled for storage and use on other fittings or mechanical devices. When separated, the tool not only provides various xe2x80x9cwrenchingxe2x80x9d surfaces for turning and/or holding components of an angle-stop fitting, but also provides features that facilitate the accurate positioning and alignment of the fitting with its associated fixture.
One aspect of the invention is based on the observation of problems with conventional wrenches and techniques used for the installation of such fittings. Often the tools used will result in the marring of the outer surface of the fitting, or will require that significant time be expended adjusting a wrench, searching for the correctly sized wrench, or re-adjusting the orientation or position of the fitting after it is first installed. The present invention overcomes the positioning problem by incorporating a lug-like feature on the end of one of the members so as to allow for accurate positioning of the fitting during installation, rather than readjustment.
The technique and apparatus described herein is advantageous because it is a single tool that provides the functionality of multiple conventional tools required for the installation of angle-stops and similar compression fittings. It also makes it unnecessary to have multiple wrenches for the installation of the compression fittings. As a result of the invention, plumbers and do-it-yourselfers will be able to easily install compression-type fittings in a reduced amount of time without marring the fitting, and will avoid the necessity of storing and carrying multiple tools.